3D computer game could treat depression as well as counselling

Playing a 3D computer game could be just as effective at treating young people with depression as face-to-face counselling, research has suggested.

The study, published on British Medical Journal website bmj.com, found that many adolescents are reluctant to seek help for mental health issues.

To tackle that problem, researchers developed an interactive fantasy game called Sparx, which sees each player choose an avatar and face challenges to restore balance in a world overrun by ‘Gnats’ (Gloomy Negative Automatic Thoughts).

They found the self-help game, which uses cognitive behavioural therapy techniques to help young users, had as much benefit as more traditional treatments, reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety by at least a third.

Of the 187 young people in New Zealand studied, significantly more recovered completely in the group playing the game. Some 44% of those who completed at least four of the seven modules in Sparx recovered, compared to 26% of those receiving face-to-face treatment.

The authors of the study, based at the University of Auckland and the University of Otago, said Sparx was an “effective resource for help seeking adolescents with depression at primary healthcare sites”.

“Use of the program resulted in a clinically significant reduction in depression, anxiety, and hopelessness and an improvement in quality of life.”

The game treatment could prove a cheaper and more accessible way for some teenagers with depression to get help. In the Sparx group, 95% said they believed the game would appeal to other teenagers and 81% would recommend it to a friend. Satisfaction was also high in the group who had traditional treatment.